Lower School
The aim of the KS3 programme at The Holmewood School, is to follow a coherent 11–14 curriculum that builds on young people's experiences in the KS2 curriculum and prepares our youngsters for the challenges and opportunities of secondary education. The goal in KS3 is to help our young people to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
Students in KS3 start the day with form time, where they take part in a range of activities throughout the week including exersise, social skills activities, topical discussions and debates, personal projects and preparation for the day ahead, all of which work on a range of key skills. Form teachers are responsible for co-coordinating these activities and ensuring that all students are happy and ready for their day.
Time at the end of the day is set aside for students to reflect on their day. This is the time to celebrate their successes and address any difficulties that may have arisen.
Students study a rich curriculum which follows the National Curriculum framework. A broad range of academic subjects are offered including: English, Mathematics, Humanities, Science, PSHE, Drama, Art/DT, Computing, Music, PE and Life Skills. Inclusive opportunities at other local schools are offered where this is appropriate and relevant to a student’s learning.
Subjects in KS3 are taught by both subject specific teachers (particularly for Science and Computing) and teachers with a wider knowledge base. Unlike the class-based Primary department, students move around the school for different subjects to make their day as similar to a mainstream experience as possible. Students all have access to Chromebooks and these are used throughout the school day to enhance learning.
The KS3 curriculum follows an Independent life skills program which lends itself to a cross-curricular approach. Independent life skills are taught through various channels, including shopping trips to purchase ingredients for food technology, planning public travel arrangements by train, organising class trips to places of interest around London, organising and running charity events and productions for staff and parents, amongst others. The focus is on developing core skills in order that students can operate confidently and successfully in school, college, university, work and life in general. The independent life skills programme also promotes organisational skills, responsibility, self-esteem and independence, and supports our social skills curriculum.
Students have access to a variety of in-house therapies and these are assessed according to individual needs.
